The Sutter... The Bull's Head Pub..... it's all wonderful by any name!

Herself and I were in Lititz, having massages.... jet-setting highliners that we are..... BWAHAHAHAHA!   Okay... Okay.... she gets them as part of her health plan, and was kind enough to gift me one as well (If you get a chance, go see Sydnie at Therapeutic Massage Works.  She's killer with that stuff).

Amongst the jabbering, we asked Sydnie for lunch recommendations, and she suggested The Bulls Head pub, right in downtown Lititz.  "They have a great selection of beer on tap!".   Well..... we like beer, so that worked for us. It being only a few miles away from the massage parlor, we were walking into the Bulls Head Pub (slash) Sutter Hotel just minutes later.

The Bulls Head Pub and the Sutter hotel are two sides of the same coin.  Same building, same owners, and same otherworldly charm.

The pub was crowded and lively, and with good reason. Walking in, it's almost jaw dropping in it's atmosphere.  A beautiful bar and pub room, with a very healthy beer selection on tap.  Sharing the same pub-fare menu with the hotel dining room, it's like stepping across the ocean to a classic ideal of a British pub.  I'm so happy the Brits managed to get past that whole 'Revolution' thing, and feel willing to bring some of their culture back across the pond to our fine State.

We were looking for a bit quieter scene for our lunch, and investigated past the pub to the adjoining hotel lobby, and through another set of doors to a charming vintage style dining room occupying the front corner of the building.

Two entire walls being windows, the dining room is bright and cheerful. Olive walls, bold white trim, and brilliant white table clothes make the whole room just pop.  We were actually smiling in anticipation as we were seated, with the atmosphere soaking in.

Taking a corner table, our (Evil Food Temptress) waitress presented us with menus and offered some drink options.  Yes.... a large and fascinating menu of beer on tap... certainly that.  BUT.... an entire other menu of..... get this..... Whiskey flights!  No, I'm quite serious here.  The Sutter has a menu of whiskey flights, putting together tastings of some spectacular offerings three at a time for not unreasonable prices.

Now, being on the road that day, we were forced... FORCED I tell you, to decline such a wonderful opportunity.  On the other hand, we investigated the hotel room situation, and fully intend to go back for an overnight stay so we can partake of the wonderfullness!  Bloody damn right we are going to do exactly that, and soon.  Take a room for Saturday night, enjoy a fantastic dinner followed by a night in the pub, and then a lazy Sunday morning with a stunning breakfast.  OH....HELL....YES!

Instead, I availed myself of the beer menu, having a Lost Abbey Red Poppy.... which frankly, I didn't care for.  The waitress was kind enough to trade it in for an Old Speckled Hen ale, which was perfect with the lunch we were to order. 

The menu at The Sutter is especially temping, with a great variety of fare.  Appetizers, salads, Pub Grub, and fine dining.... it's all there.  Their food menu presentation is on a clipboard, the same as the beer tap menu.  This makes wonderful sense for a place that makes rapid changes to the menu based on local availability, as I suspect The Sutter does.   It's also quirky, and we like that.

For appies, our evil mistress of a waitress enticed us into trying the Scotch Egg, a favorite of Herself.  We also ordered the cheese plate, as good cheese is a weakness of ours.

Now normally, Scotch Egg doesn't do much for me. The Sutter version though, was rather tasty. Not served with the traditional mustard, but an interesting sauce... which I can't quite pin down.  Also, drizzled on the plate, a Hella Spicy red sauce that brave souls can dredge their forks through. Assembled together, it made for an excellent Scotch Egg offering.

The cheese tray..... just damn.  That was really good.  From The Sutter's menu:

Fromager Affinois Brie mild, creamy, buttery flavor, slight sweetness

Midnight Moon aged six months, ivory-colored cheese is dense and smooth with a slight crunch of protein crystals

Caramelized Onion English Cheddar creamy, buttery cheddar is perfectly blended with tangy, caramelized onions

It was plated attractively, and encouraged experimentation. Whole grain mustard, savory crackers, Pita, olives, dried fruit and candied pecans... and Oh-My-God stunning cheeses.  Cheeses so good, we asked for their provenance and were told of a specialty food shop just blocks from the restaurant.

At $10, I simply can't see how they make money on that cheese board.  It alone may have been the best value I've seen anywhere in a long time.

Naturally, herself and I took turned making combinations of flavors in competition with each other.  Some of this, a dab of that, a few dried cranberries.... and Voila!   Of course, mine were the best (He said with some pride) Pfft. Whatever. Mine were little works of art. In all seriousness though, it was some amazing cheese. The waitress said that the cheese selection changes weekly and is procured from a specialty food shop down the road. One that we will be reviewing!

For lunch mains, Herself had an interesting grilled cheese and soup combination that she can speak to.  

I had the house Tomato Bisque which is everything I want in a tomato bisque. Rich, creamy, with a light tomato tang. Not at all gritty, with a smooth texture. The grilled cheese was good, on sourdough bread, although here a week later, I am having a hard time really recalling it, so it wasn't a showstopper. But man that Bisque....

Me?   There was Pub Fare... and that means Fish and Chips.... and our waitress mentioned the Sutter's owners are British and take pride in their pub food..... and Fish and Chips!

Guess what I had for lunch?  Yup..... Fish and Chips.

They offer both small and large servings, I gather the difference being the amount of fried fish. Naturally, I had the large, because I'm a fatty foodie and all that.

The fish itself had nice mild flavor, with breading that held together well bite by bite.  Slightly greasy from the fryer, but isn't that part of the charm?  I half expected a package of food wrapped in newspaper!

Served with crispy fries, tarter sauce, and plenty of good Ketchup... it's a lunch time win.

 I suppose we could have had something fancier, but we were out-and-about, not doing a fancy dinner thing.  As lunches go, it was really, really good.   The fine dining.... yeah, we are going back for that.

As I mentioned earlier, we plan to make a weekend trip of the Sutter, and walking Lititz.  Yes, it's only 30-40 minutes from the house, but who cares?  It's away.... different..... special.... and worth it. Our reservation is already made!

Did I mention they offer Scotch and Whiskey tasting flights? 
How The Sutter Inn Lititz, PA Forks up?
4.75 Forks for flavor.
5 Forks for atmosphere.  
3 Forks for location (parking is limited)  
4.15 Forks for your value.
4.75 Forks for service.
4.33 Forks overall